South Carolina Republicans, Senator Tim Scott and Congressman Ralph Norman, introduced bills on Thursday seeking the approval of Capitol Policeman Brian Sicknick, who died after suffering injuries during the January 6 siege of Capitol Hill. of the United States, to pay homage at the Capitol Rotunda.
Sicknick, 42, was a veteran member of the department’s First Aid Unit. He joined the force in July 2008.
CAPITOL POLICE DEAD IN THE DUTY LINE COULD LIE IN HONOR IN THE CAPITOL ROTUNDA
Capitol Police said authorities at various agencies were investigating his death as a homicide.
The bills introduced by lawmakers aim to recognize Sicknick’s “courage and sacrifice” and Norman’s references to creating a memorial plaque for Sicknick near the Capitol steps, covering funeral costs and changing the Police Memorial Fund of the US Capitol to include “amounts received in response to the attack on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.”
Norman’s communications director, Austin Livingston, told Fox News that the public official has been leading the effort – working on the bill in recent weeks – and was “honored” that Scott had agreed to present a version in the upper house.
Livingston noted that Norman had spoken to Sicknick’s family over the phone to offer his condolences and “see if they had any needs that were not already being met.”
“Officer Brian Sicknick risked his life serving our country in uniform abroad, but ultimately he gave his life defending our Capitol from threats here at home,” Scott told Fox News. “His selfless heroism and the bravery of all the officers who defended democracy that day must be honored and remembered.”
“My prayers continue to be with Officer Sicknick’s loved ones and the family of all of our brave policemen,” he said.
In the hours following the news of his death, hundreds of police and emergency response teams lined the streets near the Capitol during a moment of silence in honor of Sicknick.
In addition, Mayor Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Ordered the flags on the Capitol to be raised with half the mast in honor of him.
“Officer Sicknick’s sacrifice reminds us of our obligation to those we serve: to protect our country from all external and internal threats,” she said in a statement. “Please console Officer Sicknick’s family that so many will cry and pray for them in this sad time.”
Norman and Scott are not the only ones asking for more recognition for Sicknick’s life and services.
In a January 8 statement, Deputy Don Beyer, D-Va., Regretted his loss.
“Officer Brian Sicknick, my constituent, was 42 years old, a military veteran who served in the United States Capitol Police for 12 years,” he said. “He made the last sacrifice while protecting those arrested on Capitol Hill in the midst of a violent attack on our own democracy. He deserves to lie in the state.”
As The Hill noted on Thursday, lying in state is generally reserved for former presidents and other American officials. Two Capitol police officers killed in the line of duty became the first private citizens to lie in honor at the Rotunda in 1998.
Sicknick was the youngest of three children, born in South River, NJ. A military veteran, Sicknick joined the New Jersey National Guard – eventually serving in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Desert Shield and the 108th Air Refueling Wing of McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Joint Base.
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Sicknick’s older brother, Ken Sicknick, asked the public and the press not to make his death a political issue.
“Brian is a hero and that’s what we would like people to remember,” he said.
David Aaro, Michael Ruiz and Peter Aitken of Fox News contributed to this report.